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Canisius University Athletics

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Ladd_Matt action vs. Mercyhurst 1-12-19
Marshal Filipowicz
0
Canisius CAN 9-18-3, 6-16-2 AHC
3
Winner Air Force Falcons AF 14-11-4, 12-8-3 AHC
Canisius CAN
9-18-3, 6-16-2 AHC
0
Final
3
Air Force Falcons AF
14-11-4, 12-8-3 AHC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 0
Air Force Falcons AF 1 1 1 3

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Air Force Defeats Hockey in Series Opener

Air Force used goals from three different skaters and a 22-save shutout from Billy Christopoulos to record a 3-0 victory over Canisius in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at Cadet Ice Arena at the United States Air Force Academy.
 
Walker Sommer, Kyle Haak and Alan Mehnert provided the offense for the Falcons (14-11-4, 12-8-3 AHA), who remained a tie with RIT for third place in the league standings with the victory.
 
The three goals would be more than support for Christopoulos, who recorded his third shutout of the season with Friday's triumph.
 
Sommer opened the scoring in the first minute of the contest when he beat Canisius goaltender Matt Ladd with a snap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle to give Air Force the early advantage.
 
Haak doubled the Falcons cushion with a shorthanded tally just past the midway point of the contest, finishing off a 2-on-1 break for his 12th of the campaign.
 
Mehnert closed out the scoring a little more than three minutes into the third when his shot deflected off a Canisius defender and into the Griffs' net to make it a 3-0 contest.
 
Canisius' (9-18-3, 6-16-2 AHA) best chance to get on the scoreboard came during a power-play opportunity late in the first period, when junior Matt Hoover's attempt from the bottom of the left faceoff circle found the post and stayed out.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"It was a similar story for us tonight. Our guys are trying, but we're not working hard enough. We're not playing well enough 5-on-5, we're having too many odd-man rushes against and we're not generating enough offense. It stinks when a guy like J.D. Pogue, who has been playing well lately, gets hurt in the first period and cannot return. It feels like every game there's a guy who is playing hard and playing well for us who gets hurt. We have to continue to learn. We're trying to teach some lessons. That's always a goal of ours.
 
"In the second period, we did a good job putting pressure on them. We had some long shifts in the offensive zone. We were using the full zone, getting our defensemen involved, going behind the net and good things were happening because of it. We need to continue to do that. We talked about it in the second intermission that we need to find a way to get around the net more, get some screens, have more of a net-front presence and find open guys who are in a spot to shoot it right away. Those are things that we had a chance to talk about and need to get better at as we prepare to face Air Force again tomorrow."
 
Game Notes
• Friday's contest served as the 46th meeting between Canisius and Air Force. The Falcons extended their lead in the all-time series to 23-14-9 with the victory.
• The shutout was the fourth in the series for the Falcons against the Griffs and the second by Christopoulos (March 16, 2018).
• Air Force out-shot Canisius by a 34-22 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 11-6 edge in the first period.
• The Falcons were 1-for-4 on the power play while Canisius was 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
• Friday's contest marked just the second time this season that Canisius has been held off the scoreboard and the first since a 2-0 defeat at RIT on Nov. 13.
• The shorthanded goal by the Falcons in the second period was the fourth surrendered by Canisius this season.
 
Up Next
• The teams conclude their series Saturday with a 7 p.m. (EST) contest at the Cadet Ice Arena.
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